Volume 1, No. 18. October 5, 2001
Special WWA Edition
Abridged
season
The world was still reeling from the shock of the September 11 terrorist attacks
when, four days later another major tragedy struck closer to home for Schlitterbahn
Beach on South Padre Island, Texas. The park's receptionist, Jackie McClendon,
lost her daughter Chelsa Welch and son-in-law "Harpoon" Barry Welch when they
were driving across the causeway linking the island with Port Isabel just as
a barge rammed into one of the bridge's supports. As the highway collapsed into
the bay, several cars plunged into the water, among them the Welches, who left
behind a 2-year-old son. They were among eight people killed in the 2 a.m. (0200)
incident.
The bridge collapse also put a sudden halt to all commercial activity on South
Padre Island, whose only link to the mainland is that causeway. The NBGS-owned
Schlitterbahn Beach shut that Saturday because few employees could make it to
the park. On Sunday, after consulting with other island leaders and facing the
logistical problem of getting chemicals to the park when no tanker truck could
get across the Intercoastal Waterway, NBGS CEO and Schlitterbahn Beach General
Manager Jeff Henry shut the park down for the rest of the year. The move wiped
out 14 operating days in the weekend-only shoulder season. "It's like a long
hurricane hitting you," said Public Relations Director Sherrie Brammel. about
130 seasonal employees were laid off, and the full-time staff, after winterizing
the park, were shifted to NBGS and Schlitterbahn in New Braunfells, Texas.
It was a dour ending to the NBGS showcase park's inaugural season (LOOP,
June 1, 2001), which had been a creative and operational success for
the company. "This was so much bigger than Schlitterbahn; it's impacting the
entire island," Brammel said. "All the fast food restaurants have closed down
because there's no people and they can't get supplies." Authorities say the
bridge should be repaired by the first of the year and NBGS hopes to sreopen
Schlitterbahn Beach as planned for spring break next March.